Evan Inatome

EVAN INATOME

OWNER OF ELIXR COFFEE

Evan Inatome might’ve ended up in Philly by chance — his brother-in-law, Winston Justice, was drafted by the Eagles — but everything about the construction of Elixr was deliberate. The home coffee geek turned pro — how many of your friends have a La Marzocco for home use? — tricked out his large, appealingly tucked-away shell with endless cords of reclaimed wood and zero-VOC paints. But people come for the coffee, an ever-changing roasting roster best explored via pourover, not the ethos. Right?

Ask Inatome and he’ll tell you there’s more than just liquid consumption going on along his picnic-like benches. The “coffice space” is its own sort of salon, its polish attracting creatives who aren’t afraid to get things done. “Some people tell me there are startups that happen in Elixr,” he says. “Businesses are born here.” But don’t be disappointed if you exit the Swiss-crossed door without the blueprints for the next killer app. Inatome’s expectations for you are much simpler. “It’s kind of like a potion … something that makes you feel a little bit better,” he says of his shop’s slick, deliberately misspelled moniker. “I wanted it to apply to the entire experience. Come have a coffee — and just feel good after.”

The social yet “clubby” feel is just the combination founder Evan Inatome envisioned after spending several years in Indonesia, where he developed the urge to open an exquisite coffee house with a higher-end product offering.

“A lot of people like to show off the café as if they were showing a Philly secret,” he says. “People consider it a cool place.”